Simply because someone knew a miraculous jutsu like the Flying Thunder God, the Konoha ninjas could flee the moment they said so, leaving only the Hidden Cloud behind to clean up the mess.
For Minato, it was impossible to catch him without extensive prior preparations, unless he himself didn't want to leave. In fact, even with preparations, it wouldn't be very useful; basically, all barrier seals had no effect on the Flying Thunder God. When it was time to run, he could still easily get away.
In that brief yet lethally threatening clash, Hagoromo had also made his own attempt. Unfortunately, he failed, and the consequences of that failure were quite severe.
This was probably the most severe injury he had suffered in both his lifetimes. According to the diagnosis of a medical expert surnamed Yakushi, Hagoromo's injuries would require about three months to fully heal. It was expected that his mobility would be impaired for a month or two, and it was best if he didn't move around carelessly.
Originally, Hagoromo had planned to actively resign from his duties as Minato's bodyguard, but now it seemed that wouldn't be necessary. He couldn't exactly execute missions lying down; that would be a bit too dedicated... Although, in a sense, this situation could also be categorized as Hagoromo "actively" resigning.
Frontline Hospital. In a private ward, Hagoromo was leaning back diagonally on a hospital bed.
Considering factors like his strength and his connections, he belonged to the kind of privileged class that ought to be spat upon by the masses, which was why he was able to enjoy a private ward all to himself.
Hagoromo stared out the window at the monotonous, uninteresting scenery, looking truly bored. He had been in this half-crippled state for a week now.
Considering the overall medical environment and basic conditions at the frontlines, as well as Hagoromo's own injuries, he would probably be sent back to Konoha very soon.
It would be his first time experiencing the treatment of being escorted, though he definitely wouldn't be the only patient returning to Konoha when the time came.
Just as Hagoromo was letting his thoughts wander into the unknown, someone knocked on the door a few times, and without waiting for a response, walked right in.
"Minato-senpai, are you very free these past few days? Speaking of which, do I still have any right to privacy?" Hagoromo said, rather speechless.
Due to his injuries, Hagoromo's voice sounded different from usual, feeling a bit strange. But the number of times Minato had come to visit him these past few days was honestly a bit excessive.
"If you ask if I'm free, I have indeed been quite free these past few days. I've handed over a lot of my work to other ninjas."
A ninja like Minato shouldn't be able to have free time under any circumstances, right? He even handed over his work. He couldn't possibly be skipping work just to visit Hagoromo, could he?
However, Minato didn't explain this point right away. Instead, he continued, "I just received a letter from Kushina. I told her about your injury earlier, so I was severely scolded."
"This has nothing to do with you, senpai. Being injured was due to my own carelessness. After we return, I'll explain it to Kushina-sensei," Hagoromo said. Getting Minato scolded made him feel a little bad.
"...Though Kushina-sensei genuinely can be a bit of a nag sometimes."
"You're the one who said that; I never said any such thing."
Hmm? What was with this attitude of quickly drawing a clear line? Could it be that Minato was going to sell him out?
Hagoromo suddenly realized he seemed to have said something he shouldn't have.
But it had only been a few days, and the news had already made a round trip. Did Kushina use expedited shipping?
"Let's put that aside for now. I came today to tell you that in a few days, I'll be returning to Konoha together with you." Minato steered the topic back on track.
"Together?" Hagoromo immediately reacted. So Minato really was handing over his frontline work?
"Did some incident happen at the frontlines or in Konoha?"
That was probably the only kind of reason that would make Minato leave the battlefield and return to Konoha.
"If you call it an incident, it does count as one. We just confirmed some rather important intelligence. I think from now on, I will likely be staying in Konoha long-term."
"Staying in Konoha? Returning to Konoha... but what about the war?"
"Through corroboration from various sources, we've received definite news. The Hidden Cloud Jonin 'A' we encountered a few days ago has now officially taken office as the Fourth Raikage..."
"When we ran into them, it was probably around his last routine patrol. After all, with the status of a 'Kage', it's no longer possible for him to move freely around the frontlines."
"Coupled with the fact that his younger brother, the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, was heavily injured at the same time, the severe threat the Hidden Cloud posed to Konoha in terms of high-end combat power has been greatly eliminated. Therefore..."
"Therefore, the frontlines don't need you anymore," Hagoromo finished for Minato.
"That's essentially the idea. With Jiraiya-sensei here, there shouldn't be any problems. And judging by the Third's intentions... anyway, I still have many things to learn. Moving forward, my main work will be in Konoha."
In reality, if Orochimaru had been willing to stay here the whole time, there was a high possibility Minato would have remained in Konoha to learn village administration policies from the Third Hokage ever since the war with the Hidden Stone ended.
Did this mean the Third Hokage was already preparing to pass on minato the position? The Third was only fifty-five or fifty-six years old right now; wasn't this a bit rushed?
Or was it to suppress dissenting voices on Minato's behalf while his prestige was at its absolute peak?
"Plus, on a personal note, Kushina and my wedding date is approaching..."
"Returning to Konoha... this should be a good thing. For Kushina-sensei as well... 'Fourth Hokage' sounds much better than a title like 'Yellow Flash'."
"Yellow Flash," no matter what, was merely an outstanding youth, an S-rank elite mob that made entire armies retreat on Sight. But the "Fourth Hokage" was that very elite who now had an army behind him. If you wanted to fight him, you had to form a raid group.
"No, no, the Hokage seat is still a bit far off for me. And what exactly is going on with this matter is still uncertain. Everything will have to wait until we return to Konoha."
Still far off? It wasn't far off at all.
Combining the little bits of plot he knew to make deductions, and considering Minato and Kushina's wedding date, if nothing changed, Minato's inauguration as the Fourth Hokage should happen very soon.
"This is fine too. If we return to Konoha together, I won't have to worry about safety issues. Having the future Fourth Hokage as a bodyguard guarantees safety." Hagoromo was obviously joking.
In reality, when it came to intimidating people, the title of Hokage wasn't as effective as the Yellow Flash. Moreover, the route from the Land of Rice Paddies back to the Land of Fire should be classified as a safe, rear-echelon route. Given the Land of Fire's current surrounding geopolitical situation, they shouldn't run into any enemies.
Unless someone was specifically targeting Hagoromo's life.
Theoretically, a good person like Hagoromo... Okay, theoretically, this possibility couldn't be ruled out, because Hagoromo was "notorious" in the ninja world. Heaven knew if several villages might jointly issue a bounty on him. The bounty definitely wouldn't be low; it might even fall somewhere between a Warlord of the Sea and an Emperor of the Sea.
"Will Choza-senpai and Shibi-senpai also be returning to Konoha with us?" Hagoromo asked after a moment of thought.
"No, they will remain at the frontlines. Konoha's situation has stabilized now. Ninjas with the strength of Choza and Shibi can still be of greater use at the frontlines. With the current number of ninjas we are maintaining at the front, it's inadvisable to excessively withdraw high-end combat forces."
"Is this an order from the Third?"
"Yes."
Since it was the Third's order, it meant the internal disputes Hagoromo didn't know the details of had already calmed down. The bottomless, dark struggle for the Hokage seat had finally settled.
Those who needed to behave themselves had to behave. Under these circumstances, as long as Minato stayed in Konoha, his safety was indeed relatively guaranteed.
Besides, Minato was by no means the type of ninja who couldn't survive without bodyguards.
"What about the bodyguards?"
Actually, what Hagoromo wanted to ask was about the arrangements for himself moving forward. Although he was half-crippled right now and would be hauled back to Konoha, what about after that?
"Including you, all three of my bodyguards will be replaced. We are currently searching for candidates for the new bodyguards. The Third's intention is to select from among the younger ninjas..."
In reality, Hagoromo wasn't originally on the list to be replaced. But considering he would be out of commission for a long time, the Third Hokage was forced to find someone to fill his vacancy.
"As for your arrangements, we'll probably have to wait until your injuries heal to discuss it."
"So when do we head back?"
Minato didn't elaborate on specific arrangements because none had actually been made yet. After all, Hagoromo was currently, and would be for a long time, in a severely injured state. There truly was no need to rush this matter.
"Within the next few days."
Indeed, it was within the next few days...
Sometime later, Hagoromo was very gently carried onto a carriage by the medical ninja sisters. He then returned to Konoha alongside other wounded and sick ninjas.
Serving as escorts for the wounded were a portion of ninjas periodically returning to Konoha for rest and reorganization, Minato included.
Hagoromo still received highly preferential care. The carriage moved very smoothly. After all, with his current injuries—if you stuck a lightbulb in the hole in his chest, he could practically cosplay as Iron Man—he absolutely could not handle any bumping around.
The group set out at dawn, traveling from when the sun was shining bright and the flowers were blooming, all the way until the sun in the west was about to set. During this time, Hagoromo paid no attention to the scenery along the way. He was completely immersed in a certain emotion, unable to extricate himself.
Actually, every frontline ninja had traveled this route multiple times, and Hagoromo was no exception. It was as familiar as it could be. However, moving at this sluggish pace often made a person's mind wander to random, nonsensical thoughts.
But besides Hagoromo himself, no one knew what he was thinking.
Besides himself, no one knew what he would do next.
In any case, Konoha was just up ahead.
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